Holy rigatoni! Is the Regina Folk Festival already here? It is! From Friday Aug. 9 to Sunday Aug. 11, Victoria Park will explode with a conflagration of really amazing music that will detonate in your ears! Literally! Here are some fascinating facts about this year’s festival.

NEKO’S ARMY

Most people think of Neko Case as the shatteringly talented singer and songwriter behind amazing tunes like “People Got A Lotta Nerve”, “This Tornado Loves You” and “Man” from her upcoming album The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. But few know that she also commands a battalion of 1,000 fanatically loyal, axe-wielding rescue dogs outfitted in medieval chest plates and sombreros. The war dogs ride pretty horses into battle and each has a cat for a squire. Unfortunately cats make shitty squires, and now all of Neko’s plans are ruined. Again.

FEIST’S SESAME SECRET

You’ve probably seen Polaris Prize-winning artist Feist on Sesame Street singing a version of her song “1234”. That was actually the singer’s second stint on the legendary children’s program. In an earlier appearance not available on YouTube, Feist sang a version of “Mushaboom” called “Mushroom Cloud” with the lyrics, “I got a mutant to stick it out and make a shelter in a bombed-out house.” It wasn’t as popular.

RAH RAH ONCE HAD MORE RAH

This Regina six-piece was originally called Rah Rah Rah Rah Rah Rah, but they shortened their name to Rah6 early in their career before adopting their current moniker in 2006. Also, members of the superstitious band always swap socks before shows in an unhygienic pre-concert ritual designed to ward off bad luck. Also, everyone in the band has legally changed their name to “Rah”.

MAN MAN’S GLASS CEILING

This year’s folk festival has scores of female artists: Neko Case and Feist, plus Loreena McKennitt, Rosanne Cash, Elisapie Isaac and the Midnight Roses, to name a few. But did you know that men can also learn to play instruments? Many people don’t, and that’s why this year’s festival includes one token male act. Make sure you applaud — these fellas are trying really, really  hard. They’ll need encouragement to make it in this women’s world.

2013-08-08